Help my mom fight GBS

Hi everyone. My name is Roxanne Vidal and I would like to ask for your help.

My mom, Rose Vidal is currently confined in Victor R. Potenciano hospital in Mandaluyong, Philippines. She is diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

This October 2016, I have received news from my mom in the Philippines that she was feeling sick. She was dizzy, having headaches and was feeling very weak. I told her to get checked up as soon as possible. After her checkup, she was informed that her cholesterol and sugar levels are high and she was prescribed with medicine.

A few days after her check up, she was sent to the emergency room because of the persistent weakness that she was feeling, accompanied by vomitting. On October 8, my relatives back in the Philippines decided it was best for my mom to be confined in the hospital since they thought she had mild stroke.

After a few tests, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. It was a rare auto-immune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, until certain muscles cannot be used at all and will not respond to the brain's command. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until certain muscles cannot be used at all and, when severe, the person is almost totally paralyzed. In these cases the disorder is life threatening - potentially interfering with breathing and, at times, with blood pressure or heart rate - and is considered a medical emergency. (NINDS)

Immediately, the symptoms became severe and she had to be moved to ICU to monitor her blood pressure, her heart and her breathing. I lost contact with her for a few days while she was in the ICU.

There is no known cause and cure for GBS. However, there are therapies and treatment that lessen the severity of the illness and accelerate the recovery of the patient. We opted for the high-dose immunoglobin therapy in which doctors give intravenous injections of the protein. This in turn can lessen the immune attack on the nervous system.

The intravenous immonuglobin (IVIG) that was given to her for this disorder costs about Php 300,000 (about 6,000USD), and that was at a discounted price. We still have to pay for her other medicine, ICU fees, hospital fees, examinations, doctors' fees and therapy after she gets out of the hospital, which I'm hoping is soon.

My relatives can only help as much as they can. As such, I am hoping you can help with her journey in getting better. Any donation and amount will do. We greatly appreciate any help and we will be grateful for the rest of our lives. This is the least I can do considering I'm not with her to take care of her.

She is now undergoing therapy since she cannot still speak too well, can't swallow, can't move on her own and can't even smile fully. Yet. But I know she'll do well and God will continue to bless us. I miss her smile and I'm hoping I can see it soon.

Recovery can be from a few weeks to even years. This disorder affects only 1 out of 100,000 people. Please be one of the 99,999 people who can help people with GBS.

You can also donate money directly to Bank of the Philippine Islands with account number of 0039-3754-43 under the name of Roxanne Vidal. Thank you very much and may God bless you.

To raise awareness of the Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), here is the link for further reading. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/detail_gbs....

If you want to donate to the support group of GBS in the Philippines, you may do so at this site. http://www.gbs-cidp-ph.org/donate.html

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